The month of Ramadan is approaching with its blessings of goodness and purity to inculcate in man willpower, composure, and determination. Ramadan equips Muslims with the art of endurance and stamina to face all adversities and overcome all obstacles and difficulties of life.
The Prophet used to congratulate his Companions at the beginning of Ramadan, saying: “O people! The month of Ramadan has come to you, a blessed month for the duration of which Allah has prescribed fasting for you. In it the gates of Paradise are open, the gates of Hellfire are shut, and the devils are chained up. There is a night [during this month] which is better than a thousand months. Whoever is deprived of its good is really deprived [of something great].” [Ahmad and An-Nasaa’i]
In another version of the same Hadeeth (narration), the Prophet added: “A caller calls out every night: ‘O seeker of good, draw near; come to Allah! O seeker of evil, desist!’ Allah will have emancipated some people from the Fire, and that happens every night.” [At-Tirmithi, Al-Bayhaqi, and Ibn Hibbaan]
Ramadan is a holistic spiritually rejuvenating experience. It teaches self-discipline, self-restraint and engenders the willpower to abstain from what was deemed forbidden by Allah The Almighty. It imbues man with an honest dedication and submission to the will of Allah The Exalted, abiding by His commands and implementing His laws in all facets of life. Ramadan teaches man to renounce whatever harms his religion, worldly affairs, or body. It is a great annual training for character-building, self-discipline, spiritual and physical purification of one’s faculties and feelings both. Thus, one can attain Taqwa (piety, fear of Allah, God-consciousness, and righteousness) in all times, places and situations, if he strives to attain spiritual rejuvenation.
He should also learn the sublime lessons of Ramadan through devoting his days and nights to worship, refraining from all sins and misdeeds and exercising self-discipline over one’s faculties to refrain from doing what is impermissible. Thus, a fasting person can successfully go through such a spiritual experience and victoriously triumph over himself. Such a fasting person would save his talents and physical and moral potentials as well as energy to face the enemies of Islam.
Indeed, the month of Ramadan is a great opportunity to pause for self-reflection and self-reproach. It is a time of introspection and self-evaluation in order to set the records straight, make up for one’s past mistakes, and obviate potential mistakes or misdeeds before it is too late. Such an opportunity to attain Taqwa, for those whom Allah The Exalted guides to Taqwa, a motivation to do good deeds and acts of worship since people are inclined towards goodness. The rebellious devils are chained up during the month of Ramadan, so they are unable to incite and tempt people the way they do at other times. During the month of Ramadan, the gates of Paradise are opened and those of Hellfire are closed.
On each night of Ramadan, Allah The Exalted saves many people from Hellfire. Moreover, the rewards of [worship on] the Night of Al-Qadar is better than the rewards of [worship on] of a thousand months. What great glad tidings! If we ponder on such words, we would hasten to do good deeds, compete with one another in doing good, refrain from grave sins, ignore satisfying the desires of the flesh, and seize the great opportunity of Ramadan to achieve Taqwa.
Indeed, Ramadan is an opportunity to relish Taqwa; to become among the righteous, devout and pious servants. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous.} [Quran 2:183]
The verse highlights the objective of fasting. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {…that you may become righteous.} [Quran 2:183] This indicates that the greatest benefit and the main rationale behind fasting is attaining Taqwa. ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattaab asked the revered Companion Ubayy ibn Ka‘b about the meaning of Taqwa. Ubayy ibn Ka’b replied, “O Commander of the Believers! What would you do if you walked on a thorny road?” ‘Umar replied, “I would raise my garment and be cautious not to let my clothes get entangled in the thorns and strive not to step on one of them.” Ubayy ibn Ka‘b said, “This is Taqwa.”
Taqwa is sensitivity of the conscience, transparency of feelings, a continuous fear, permanent caution, and avoidance of the thorns on the road. The path of life is full of thorns that symbolize lusts and desires. There are thorns of fears and concerns, thorns of temptations and vices, and thorns of false hope in someone who cannot fulfill one’s needs. The path of life abounds with thorns of forged fear of those who can neither benefit nor harm us and dozens of other thorns. This is what is meant by Taqwa.
If the concept of Taqwa is not yet clear, let us ponder on the wise words of ‘Ali ibn Abu Taalib reflecting on piety. He said, “It is the fear of Allah The Exalted, abiding by the commands in the Noble Quran in one’s life, feeling content with whatever little provision one has, and preparing for the day of departure.”
This is the genuine meaning of Taqwa. Where do we stand in relation to such a refined concept?
Let us consider the holy month of Ramadan a starting point to pursue piety. Indeed, piety is the optimal clothing [of the soul]. Allah The Exalted Says (what means):
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{…the clothing of piety – that is best.} [Quran 7:26]
• {Indeed, the pious will be among gardens and rivers,* In a seat of honor near a Sovereign, Perfect in Ability.} [Quran 54:54-55]
Bear in mind that fasting the month of Ramadan forbids man from committing sins. Allah The Exalted commands us to abstain from eating, drinking and engaging in sexual intercourse during the day of the fast, and deemed doing such acts among the actions that invalidate the fast. This urges Muslims to refrain from misdeeds during the days and nights of Ramadan. This is because Allah The Exalted, Who deemed doing such acts forbidden during the days of Ramadan, although food and drink are indispensable needs for everyone, forbade other acts that are graver and more harmful. Unlike eating and drinking, they are dispensable.
There are many traditions clarifying this point, some of which are the following:
1 – Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet said: “The person observing fasting should not use foul language, raise his voice, or behave foolishly and impudently, and if somebody fights with him or abuses him, he should say, ‘I am fasting.” [Al-Bukhari]
The Prophet emphasized that a fasting person should not raise his voice, utter bad and foul words, or indulge in gossip or finding faults in others or talk about women obscenely and the like. He also stressed that a fasting person should not use foul language, or desecrate or make fun of what is sacred. Indeed, fasting should shield man against doing such immoral actions. A fasting person should abstain from raising his voice, and using foul and obscene language. It should prevent one from committing sins. How could a fasting person refrain from eating and drinking, which are permissible, yet commit what is forbidden?
2 – Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet said: “Whoever does not give up false speech and false conduct, Allah is not in need of his leaving his food and drink (i.e. Allah will not accept his fasting.)” [Al-Bukhari]
Allah The Almighty does not command Muslims to fast in Ramadan except for their own benefit. Fasting is meant to inculcate in man the urge to refrain from raising their voices, using foul and obscene language, committing immoral acts, making false testimonies, and committing sins that are related to women and one’s faculties. If the fasting person did not do this, then he did not benefit from his fasting. Therefore, Allah The Exalted would not accept his fasting nor reward him for it.
3 – Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet said: “Perhaps a fasting person will get nothing from his fast save hunger and thirst, and perhaps the one who stands to pray at night will get nothing from his standing except sleeplessness.” [Ahmad and Ibn Maajah]
Undeniably, fasting that is not translated in the person’s manners and actions does not avail the fasting person. A sound fast, which meets the due conditions and etiquettes of fasting in Islam, intercedes for the fasting person on the Day of Judgment and testifies for his sake before Allah The Exalted. The Prophet said: “Fasting and the Quran will intercede for the slave on the Day of Judgment.”
However, if one fails to observe the due conditions and etiquettes of fasting in Islam, it will be of no benefit for him and he will not be rewarded for it.
A pious man said, “If I do not abstain from hearing what is prohibited while fasting, from looking at what is impermissible and from saying what is unnecessary, then I will get nothing from my fast save hunger and thirst. Even if I claim that I fasted, I did not.”
Hence, fasting should be translated in the person’s manners and conduct. Jaabir said, “If you fast, then your hearing and sight should also fast, and your tongue should fast from backbiting and tale bearing. Do not harm your neighbor and be calm and dignified on the day that you fast. Do not make a day that you fast similar to a day that you do not.”
In general, a sound fast urges the fasting person to avoid prohibitions. Before a fasting person commits a sin, he should think and reflect on what he is about to do. He should ask himself: how come I want to commit a sin while Allah The Almighty has full control over me? Allah The Exalted bestowed upon me so many blessings and I am performing this act of worship [fasting so as to be closer to Him]. Fasting should have an impact on one’s morality and behavior.
One example of those who do not benefit from their fast are those people who smoke all night in Ramadan. Smoking is forbidden and is harmful in all its forms. Undeniably, they do not benefit from their fast, as their fasting is not translated in their conduct.
A fasting person may abstain from smoking all day long, as well as from consuming all forbidden substances, may Allah safeguard us all, yet he consumes them in the nights of Ramadan. This attitude proves that he did not benefit from his fast, rather he will reap the ill-effects of what he had sowed.
A sound fast urges one to avoid committing forbidden acts. If a person thinks about committing a sin and his evil-inclined soul encourages him to look at what is forbidden, such as watching nude scenes in films or looking at unveiled women, he pauses for reflection and introspection. He should think how could he refrain from the physical wants and needs such as food, drink, and so on, which are permissible on ordinary days and commit what is prohibited? Thus, if his evil-inclined soul incites him to consume unlawful money, deal in usury, deceive or trick others in a fraudulent plot or the like, he should say to himself: How can I do a righteous deed and commit a sin simultaneously?
These examples illustrate the fact that a sound and genuine fast benefits the fasting person through urging him to avoid sins, whether the sins that are temporarily forbidden such as eating or drinking during the day of the fast, or those that are permanently forbidden such as drinking alcohol, gambling, smoking, bribery, fraud, usury, adultery, going to nightclubs and the like. Such acts are, definitely, impermissible.
A Muslim should bear in mind that Allah The Exalted forbade such sinful acts and He also forbade us from eating and drinking during the days of fast; both commands must be obeyed. Therefore, he abstains from all that is forbidden.
If your fasting is like this, then you would benefit from your fasting, gain the rewards of fasting nd earn the forgiveness of your Lord. The Prophet emphasized that a person can have his sins forgiven through fasting out of sincere faith and devotion. The Prophet said: “Whoever observes fasts during the month of Ramadan out of sincere faith, and hoping to attain the rewards of Allah, then all his past sins will be forgiven.” [Al-Bukhari, Chapter of Fasting Ramadan out of sincere faith]
Fasting in Ramadan should be done out of sincere faith and hoping for the Rewards of Allah The Exalted. Undeniably, the meaning of faith here is to believe that fasting is an act of worship that was deemed obligatory by Allah The Exalted upon Muslims. The other part of the narration refers to hoping for the rewards of Allah The Exalted and this entails being mindful of Him at all times and under all circumstances.
